Ski Party

A friend of mine came over last night and we were both feeling kind of run down after the holidays, so we wanted something "light". He brought three "Frankie and Annette" films over (this, plus MUSCLE BEACH PARTY and BIKINI BEACH) and I figured they had to be fun, and with some cute chicks and all.... but oh, brother! Since it's winter we decided to watch this first, even though it comes later in this series, and Annette Funicello isn't in it except for a really quick cameo where she plays a teacher at the beginning. The thing plays like another version of SOME LIKE IT HOT, with Frankie Avalon and Dwayne Hickman as two buddies who go on a skiing trip and wind up dressing in drag while they try to make time with Yvonne Craig and Deborah Walley. Hell, they even mention SOME LIKE IT HOT in the movie! This film doesn't have much to recommend in it, and I figured going in that it had to be the least of the three movies we'd watch... but who knew it would turn out to be the "best"? At least this film had a story, even if it's clichéd. My favorite moment involved Lesley Gore popping up on the bus trip to sing her big hit "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows", and then later on getting to enjoy James Brown belt out "I Got You (I Feel Good)". These two musical performances were the shining light. ** out of ****

This is a fun a movie and worth at least to watch one time. this takes a person back when sex wasn't a dirty word for 15 year olds. it treats the young watcher with respect. guess what the guys chase the girls and the girls chase back. in today's moral climate even that seems a no no. if anything it's too mature for the one who wants hanna montanna making noises with her armpits. haver fun and relax and learn to grow up a little. and yes it's OK for boys to like girls and vice versa despite what your pastor has been telling you. there's no catch it's just fun. you won't fall out of your chair laughing. it's not widely funny it's just fun. and that's enough for me.

Annette Funicello has a brief cameo as a professor, and Dwayne Hickman was added to the beach gang in a futile attempt to keep the series fresh. Really lame take off of "Some Like It Hot". Aron Kincaid plays his usual big-man-on-campus pretty blond boy routine. There are only two reasons to watch this movie. Leslie Gore singing on the bus on the way to the ski resort, and James Brown doing a split in the snow the end of "I Feel Good".

Teenagers loved this "epic" baby boomer classic. Best part: Lesley Gore singing her huge 1965 hit "Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows" on the bus! Gore had many better hits, but this one fit this movie perfectly. Some funny and interesting scenes.

Just like the rest with snow substituted for surf, Avalon and Hickman don drag to infiltrate a female only ski lodge in a misguided attempt to better understand just what women really want. Walley and Craig are their frigid girlfriends who decide it's better to let boys be boys and meet in the middle than hold a grudge.

Kincaid is a pushy Casanova smitten with Hickman's alter ego, Bobbi Shaw and her cheekbones a seductive Swedish siren, and Lesley Gore makes a quick cameo riding the bus long enough to belt out a signature tune. If you persist, screaming' James Brown & the Famous Flames awaits to warm things up with an impromptu badly lip-synced 'I Got You'.

Endless sight gags punctuated by musical numbers and cheesy dialogue (e.g. Avalon manages to liken a feathery pillow fight with the allies WWII triumph) ends up where it started back at the beach for signature butt-wiggling shenanigans.

Ultra-light and inoffensive, Avalon and Hickman make a likeable duo of girl-obsessed youths but despite the promise of a reunion in the closing credits, 'Cruise Party' seems to never have eventuated, which is a shame (although they would team up again in 'Dr Goldfoot & the Bikini Machine'). An easy-going escapade worth a look for even the casual beach party fan.